Former top adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. David Morens, appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to explain controversial communications regarding the origins of COVID-19. Specifically, Morens was questioned about emails he sent to Dr. Peter Daszak of EcoHealth Alliance, a non-governmental organization that funded coronavirus research in Wuhan, China.
In the emails, Morens discussed using his personal email account to avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. He also made comments about deleting emails, leading to accusations that he destroyed evidence related to the pandemic’s origins.
During his testimony, Morens apologized for the language he used in the emails but denied deleting any records. He claimed that his comments about making emails ‘disappear’ were just jokes. However, Republican lawmakers pressed Morens on this issue, reminding him that they could subpoena the email records of the ‘FOIA lady’ he mentioned in one email.
The hearing also revealed that Morens expressed concerns about handling sensitive information through his work email, stating that he would delete anything he didn’t want to see in the New York Times. Morens claimed that he tries to communicate through his personal Gmail account as much as possible to avoid FOIA requests.
Despite his apologies, Morens’ testimony failed to fully address the allegations against him. The committee continues to investigate the matter, and it remains to be seen whether further evidence will emerge regarding the deletion of records or other potential wrongdoing by Morens or other individuals involved in the COVID-19 pandemic response.
